REBIRTH IN THE BRONX AFTER BOTTOMING OUT, THE YANKEES APPEAR TO BE IN PERFECT POSITION FOR A STRETCH DRIVE

On July 18, another too-hot night in the Bronx, pitcher JackMcDowell waved a magic finger in the air and changed thefortunes of the New York Yankees. The team was on its way todropping a doubleheader to the struggling Chicago White Sox whenMcDowell was dispatched to the showers, marking one moredreadful performance in a broken-down season for a ball clubthat a year ago had achieved the best record in the AmericanLeague.

As he stalked off the field, McDowell was serenaded with boosand insults from fans who had grown tired of waiting for theirteam to snap out of a three-month funk. He had lasted just 4-2/3innings and allowed 13 hits and three home runs. With theeventual 11-4 loss, the team would plunge to 33-40 and fourthplace in the American League East, 7-1/2 games behind thefirst-place Boston Red Sox. The fuse finally burned down, andthe Bronx bomb exploded. JACK THE FLIPPER, as he was laterdubbed in one tabloid headline, raised his middle finger to theheavens and pointed the Pinstripes in a new direction. Nothinghas been the same since.

Most winning streaks in professional sports are born of a bigtrade or a clutch performance or an inspirational talk by ateary-eyed coach. The Yankees' surge was ignited by an obscenegesture, a uniquely New York moment that seems to fit perfectlyinto this season, a bizarre one even by Steinbrenneranstandards. Through Sunday, the Yanks had won 14 of 18 gamessince L'Affaire Finger, pulling to within 5-1/2 games ofthe Red Sox and moving to the top in the race for the AmericanLeague's wild-card playoff spot. Naturally, they had done itabout as quietly as a used-car commercial, capturing the backpages of the tabloids as if they were enemy beachheads andrefusing to let go. To the dismay of many in New York,including some in the Yankee clubhouse, they have turned theseason around in classic Steinbrenner-era style. Consider whathappened in just the last three weeks on the Yankee beat.

Darryl Strawberry took the stage. The Yankees signed Strawberryon June 19, but he played in Columbus, Ohio, while his agent,Bill Goodstein, and Yankee boss George Steinbrenner slugged itout over various contract provisions. Among other requests,Steinbrenner wanted Strawberry to donate $200,000 of his$675,000 salary to drug-abuse prevention charities. According toone report, Steinbrenner actually demanded that Strawberry'schildren be tested for drugs. Darryl Jr. is 10 years old and hissister, Diamond, is seven. Presumably, Flintstones chewableswould not have been on the list of banned substances.

When he finally joined the team in Detroit last Friday,Strawberry stood before the media and said, "Thank you, Mr.Steinberg." That afternoon Strawberry indicated he would not bespeaking to the media the rest of the weekend.

In a swap of unhappy, unproductive and unloved outfielders,Danny Tartabull was traded to the Oakland A's for Ruben Sierra.Only six days after the deal was consummated, there was no doubtwho got the better of it: Tartabull went on the disabled listwith a rib injury (the same ailment that Steinbrenner hadaccused him of faking). The Yanks, meanwhile, won six of theirfirst eight games with Sierra in rightfield. "I think Ruben camein here with something to prove," said Yankee manager BuckShowalter. "And I think Darryl did, too."

David Cone returned to where he belongs. Namely, the middle ofthe action. While a number of contenders acquired reliableveterans for the stretch run, the Yankees got the premier hiredgun. "I've stayed out of the headlines for a few years," saidCone, who once was accused of fondling himself across town inthe bullpen at Shea Stadium. "Maybe it's time to get back in."Is this a Steinbrenner guy or what? Cone is cool, clutch andjust crazy enough to welcome a crunch-time transfer to the BronxZoo. Since coming from Toronto in exchange for three minorleague pitchers on July 28, Cone was 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA throughSunday. The Yankees, at last, have the ace they lost when JimmyKey went on the disabled list May 17 with a torn rotator cuff."There are a lot of distractions and all that," said Cone,standing in the Yankee clubhouse. "But I look around this roomand see a lot of guys who can handle them."

For 12 years no one handled New York better than Don Mattingly,but even the Yankee captain may have been pushed too far. Acolumn in the New York Daily News in June suggested Mattinglyshould consider retirement. DONE DON, read the headline.Mattingly believes Steinbrenner was behind the story andpromises to test the market when he becomes a free agent at theend of the season.

But Mattingly also responded to the insult with his bat, hittingin 22 of the next 27 games. When he clubbed his second home runin 11 at bats on July 23 at Yankee Stadium, many of the fanstossed their new souvenirs on the field. "I don't write, and I'mnot a great speaker," said Mattingly. "There was only one way Icould put my point across." Of course, when he exacts hisrevenge on the field, he can also make Steinbrenner look like anunderhanded genius. Thank you, Mr. Steinberg.

For the Boss, it was the stuff that dreams are made of: TheYankees were winning, Mattingly was hitting and the owner wasgetting the credit. "He got what he wanted," Tartabull saidbefore being shipped out. "The back page."

There was juicy reading on the inside pages, too. Relief pitcherSteve Howe, a seven-time drug offender, accused unnamed membersof the organization of spreading rumors that he was passing outamphetamines in the clubhouse. Utilityman Jim Leyritz accusedShowalter of holding a grudge against him. And pitching coachBilly Connors was replaced by Nardi Contreras, the 36th time thepost has changed hands in the Steinbrenner era.

And all that was during a winning stretch. Who says baseball isdead? In the Bronx these days, it is just a little unstable, andthe only escape for the players is on the field. "Once we crossthe white line, there are no distractions," said third basemanWade Boggs. "That's where we can go to get away from it all."

"When all this stuff happens off the field," said Mattingly,"there's always the chance we'll band together and win games."

The Yankees certainly showed no signs of unraveling onceStrawberry showed up. But for weeks, while the Straw stirred inTriple A, there were rumblings of a clubhouse revolt as theplayers wondered at whose expense Darryl's at bats would come.Outfielder Luis Polonia complained the loudest, and whenStrawberry reported, Polonia was designated for assignment,which meant he would become a free agent if the team didn'ttrade him in 10 days.

Polonia's former teammates grumbled about the move, but onlyuntil Strawberry started launching rockets all over TigerStadium in batting practice. Strawberry appears to be in superbcondition, and Cone said his former New York Met teammate"looked like Mike Tyson." As far as we know, no one ever saidthat about Polonia.

When he entered the clubhouse, Strawberry was greeted warmly.Mattingly strolled into the trainer's room while Strawberry'sankles were being taped, and the two embraced. Mattingly said hehas felt a bond with Strawberry and Strawberry's then Metteammate Dwight Gooden since the three owned New York in themid-'80s. "I don't know Darryl that well, and I don't know Doc,either," said Mattingly. "But I've always felt like there wassomething between us because we were young guys who came uptogether. I know Darryl has had problems, but I think he's agood person. A lot of good people have problems."

The Mattingly seal of approval meant that Strawberry wasofficially part of the club, but it will be a while before hecan run with the boys on the road. His probation for atax-evasion conviction stipulates that he can go only fourplaces while traveling with the team: church, drug-counselingmeetings, his hotel room and the ballpark. With nothing else todo, he showed up five hours before Saturday night's game andlaunched 16 home runs in early batting practice, including adozen to the opposite field. The Yankees are paying JamesWilliams, a former official with the Drug EnforcementAdministration, to keep an eye on Strawberry. "That's a goodaddition for us," Showalter actually said of Williams. "He'llhelp us out on the road and in the hotel lobbies."

For now, the manager plans to use Strawberry as a DH againstrighthanders, but he may soon slug his way into the every-daylineup. Strawberry singled in his first Yankee at bat, then went3 for 5 with two RBIs in his second game and appeared every bitas quick and powerful as he did in his prime with the Mets.

While he may not be a great role model, a strong candidate forthe cast of Up with People or even a decent outfielder,Strawberry brings something to the ballpark that the Yankeessorely lacked. Before he joined them, the Yankees had just 79homers in 88 games, 11th in the American League. One reasonSteinbrenner had turned on Mattingly is the lack of powerproduction from his two legends on the corners: Through Sunday,Mattingly and Boggs had combined for eight home runs and 72RBIs. "I'll tell you what [Strawberry] does: He gives thislineup some presence," said Cone. "He's a rare talent, the kindof guy who makes you show up at five o'clock just so you can seehim take batting practice. During a game, you don't want toleave your seat. You might boo him, but you watch him."

At week's end Strawberry, 33, had 294 career home runs, but 280of them came before his 30th birthday. So what remains to beseen is whether he can regain his old form. He hasn't had aproductive season since 1991, when he batted .265 with 28 homeruns and 99 RBIs.

That, coupled with the belief among some that the Yankees hadmore pressing concerns, is why when Steinbrenner signed him, itwas viewed as a publicity stunt. Even the ClintonAdministration voiced disapproval: Drug czar Lee Brown thoughtthe signing set a bad example for the nation's youth. But ifStrawberry can supply some pop, the Yankees have a shot at theirfirst postseason appearance since 1981.

Polonia was a nice player, but he was hitting .261, with twohomers and 15 RBIs. Steinbrenner can be called cynical andinsensitive for making a deal with another pitiful drug abuser,but Polonia, like many of the underachieving Yankees, didn'thave much right to complain. If the team had performed as it didlast season, Strawberry would not be in pinstripes. And unlikethe price division rival Baltimore paid to acquire BobbyBonilla--the Orioles sent blue-chip prospect Alex Ochoa andfellow minor-league outfielder Damon Buford to the Mets--Steinbrenner gave up nothing to sign Strawberry.

"This is a great opportunity for me to be back in the bigleagues," said Strawberry. "I want to come to the New YorkYankees and not be a distraction and help the team besuccessful. It has been a very difficult road for me lifewise."

Lifewise, the Yankees have put together a team that has beenthere and done that. There are no bug-eyed kids in theclubhouse, in awe of the overwhelming attention that comes withthe Yankee uniform. As Mattingly says, "Even our young guys havegotten used to this." Many of the faces will change at the endof the season, but until then, the present crew will keep theteam in the pennant race and on the all-important back page.

So, thank you, Mr. Steinberg.

TWO COLOR PHOTOS: DAVID LIAM KYLE (2) Showalter (opposite) hopes that Strawberry's arrival will help New York continue to rise in the American League East standings. [Buck Showalter; Darryl Strawberry stretching]TWO COLOR PHOTOS: CHUCK SOLOMON The free-swinging Sierra looks plenty snappy in pinstripes, but Mattingly might reach for free agency at season's end. [Ruben Sierra; Don Mattingly]COLOR PHOTO: CHUCK SOLOMON Cone, no stranger to change, has thrown his vocal support behind the flurry of Yankee moves. [David Cone]COLOR PHOTO: DAVID LIAM KYLE The Boss will no doubt take credit for his team's surge.[George Steinbrenner]

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything